The Need for The Child Tax Credit Expansion
An Average Two-Parent Household in PA Would Need to Spend 11% of Income on Childcare
According to the American Families Plan State Fact Sheet for Pennsylvania, “The average annual cost of a child care center for a toddler in Pennsylvania is $11,400, meaning that a two-parent household would on average need to spend 11 percent of their income to afford care for one child every year. The lack of affordable child care also makes it more difficult for women to remain in their jobs, contributing to the 14 percent gender gap in workforce participation between mothers and fathers in Pennsylvania.”
381,000 Adults with Children in PA Reported Not Having Enough Food To Eat
According to the White House American Families Plan State Fact Sheet for Pennsylvania, “701,000 adults – 9% of all adults in the state – report not having enough food to eat. This includes 381,000 adults living with children, or 14% of all adults living with children, who report that the children in their household do not have enough to eat.”
How It Helps Pennsylvania
Expected to Lift 140,000 Children Out of Poverty
According to the White House American Rescue Plan Pennsylvania Fact Sheet, “Additional relief of up to $1,600 per child through the Child Tax Credit to the families of 2,368,000 children, lifting 140,000 children out of poverty.”
Expected to Reduce Child Poverty in PA by 43%
According to the White House American Families Plan State Fact Sheet for Pennsylvania, “The American Families Plan will extend through 2025 the American Rescue Plan’s Child Tax Credit (CTC) increases to $3,000 per child 6-years old and above and $3,600 per child under 6. It will also make the credit fully refundable so that low-income families can now receive the same credit as middle-income families. This extension will benefit 2,363,000 children in Pennsylvania, including 814,000 children of color. This proposal is estimated to lift 137,000 children out of poverty in Pennsylvania and reduce child poverty in the state by 43 percent.”